Philatelic support



Oct. 17, 192'??? c. J. BROWN ET Al- PHILATELIC SUPPORT Filed Jan. 23, 1939 Claw Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHILATELIO SUPPORT Application January 23, 1939, Serial No. 252,274

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to philatelic supports.

Philatelists are accustomed to arranging collected philatelic articles, such as stamps, in groups according to some suitable classification and assembling them on the page of an album which may be either of a loose-leaf or bound type. A conventional method is to attach the stamps to the page by means of small gummed tabs at their upper edge. This arrangement is satisfactoryso long as the stamps remain in place and the album is not handled. Because of the advisability of reclassifying, obtaining better specimens or for other reasons, the stamps are often moved from one page to another, or from one part of the same page to another part of that page, and it then becomes necessary to tear off the attaching tab, using care not to injure the stamp. Even then, however, injuries do occasionally occur.

In studying over the stamps and turning the pages of the album, the stamps will have a tendency to hang down as the pages turn, assuming a position generally at right angles to the face of the page. Unless care is exercised, the stamps will become creased across their faces between the pages as they are turned, thereby impairing their value or possibly rendering them valueless. To overcome this difficulty, the so-called left hand page system has frequently been adopted.

By this system, the stamps are applied only to the left hand page when the album is open, leaving the right hand page blank. By turning the pages then from right to left and assuring himself that all of the stamps are lying flat when the page is turned, this difiiculty is in part obviated. However, it becomes necessary to turn the pages only from right to left to secure the advantage sought and the problem is not cured in its entirety.

A still further objection to conventional methods used is the soiling of the stamps by their exposure, and the accumulation of mucilaginous and cellulosic material due to the use of the tabs. In attempting to avoid these difliculties, other meth- 46 ods have been suggested, but, as a rule, as they approach more nearly the goal of securing adequate protection for the stamps, they become less convenient and so, except for extremely valuable stamps on which a great deal of care can be ex- 50 pended, they have not been generally adopted. In this general connection, it may be pointed out that some ideas advanced have had the disadvantage of leading to discoloration or fading of the stamps, but this problem need not be con- 55 sidered in detail.

somewhat short of the fold line.

The principal object of our invention is to avoid the difficulties and secure the advantages discussed in the previous paragraph.

Another object is the provision of improved means for supporting and maintaining philatelic 5 articles such as stamps.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the description taken with the accompanying drawing, wherein 10 Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of an open stamp album showing a preferred embodiment of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a blank employable in forming the enclosure for the stamp;

Figs. 3 and 4 show successive steps in the formation of the complete enclosure;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but 20 showing the stamp and enclosure in a modified position.

Referring now first to Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, we cut a blank, as shown in Fig. 2, comprising a body portion l0, side fiaps II and I2, bottom 25 flap l3 and top flap I4. This blank is formed of transparent paper-like material, such as the type of cellulosic material known in the trade as Cellophane, the type of rubber derivative material known in the trade as Pliofilm, the paper- 30 like cellulose acetate sheets now offered on the market under various trade names, and the like. Preferably, a relatively firm and rigid type of these materials is employed, but the material should not be heavy or rigid enough to prevent 35 easy handling in cutting and forming operations.

The blank cut in accordance with Fig. 2 has side flaps II and 12 of such dimensions that when they are folded over, as shown in Fig. 3, they will'overlap. They are adhesively secured 40 together in this position. The end flap I3 is folded over the overlapped side flaps and adhesively secured to such side flaps along a relatively narrow margin such as indicated by the reference character I6 in Fig. 3, leaving the edge ll unattached. A scored line is preferably formed between the top fiap l4 and the body portion 10, or the top flap I4 is initially folded over so that ready and easy articulation is permitted. A layer of adhesive l8 (see Figs. 5 and 6) is applied to the outside portion of the flap- [4 (note Fig. 5), but this layer of adhesive terminates considerably short of the free edge 19 of the top flap, and also This layer of adhesive is either applied at the time the en- 5 closure is made so that it may be moistened before application to the album page, or, if desired, the adhesive may be applied by the philatelist at the time he secures the enclosure to the page.

It will be seen from Figs. and 6 that the edges of the flaps l3 and I4 overlap each other. In using the enclosure, it is secured in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5 to the album page, and is lifted up to the position indicated in Fig. 1 for the insertion of the stamp from below and upwardly. This operation is indicated also in Fig. 6 where the stamp 2| is shown being moved into position. After the stamp has been introduced, the main body of the enclosureis folded flat against the album page and, in doing so, the edge ll of the bottom flap I3 is slipped underneath the edge IQ of the top flap l4 so as to cause the enclosure to be'fastened substantially firmly against the page. Should it be desirable to move the stamp, the enclosure is allowed to remain in position. It is merely necessary to turn the enclosure up to the position shown in Fig. 1, remove the stamp, using a small pair of tweezers or the fingers if desired, insert another stamp in the enclosure, and again secure it down flat against the page in the manner indicated in Fig. 5. It will be seen that by this means stamps are fully protected in all of the respects considered hereinabove, and the entire method and equipment used are very easily and conveniently handled; indeed, with somewhat greater dispatch than was possible using gummed tabs to which we have referred.

We show a specific form of enclosure, but those skilled in the art will understand that the exact details of construction may be modified somewhat while still employing the essential teachings of our invention. I I I What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A philatelic support assemblage, comprising a page member, an enclosure of transparent material having a flap foldable to close one end of the enclosure, said flap adhesively secured to said page member to leave an unattached edge, and a second flap adhesively secured to the enclosure to permanently close the same, said second flap having an edge unattached to the body of the enclosure, said unattached edges of said flaps being in overlapping relation whereby when one is placed below the other, the entire enclosure is held substantially fiat against the page member, but whereby the enclosure may be folded back on said first flap as a hinge to expose an open end of the enclosure adjacent said first flap for removal from or insertion into the enclosure of a. philatelic specimen, said end of the enclosure through which the philatelic specimen is inserted or removed being closed when the enclosure lies flat against the page member.

2. An enclosure and support for a philatelic specimen comprising a body of transparent paper-like material having a body portion, side flaps and top and bottom flaps, said flaps being in overlapping relation when folded against the body portion, said side flaps adhesively secured together, and said bottom flap adhesively secured to the side flaps except at an edge thereof transverse to the side flaps, said top flap adaptedfor attachment to a support such as a page of an album, in such a way as to leave a transverse edge thereof unattached, whereby. the edge of said top flap maybe inserted under the edge of the bottom flap to maintain said enclosure substantially flat against its support.

3. An enclosure and support for a philatelic article, comprising an enclosure of transparent material having a flap foldable to close a nor.- mally open end of the enclosure, said flap adapted to be secured adhesively to a page, as of a stamp album, and a second flap adhesively secured to the enclosure to permanently close the same, said second flap having an edge unattached to the ,body of the enclosure, the unattached edges of said flaps being in overlapping relation whereby when one is placed below the other when the first-mentioned flap is attached to a page, the

enclosure will be caused to lie flat against the page, but may be folded back to expose an open end of the enclosure, normally closed when the enclosure is in position on the page.

CLARENCE J. BROWN. JOHN W. BAKER. 

